Bio-based 1,4Butanediol

A GREEN VERSION OF A WIDELY USED CHEMICAL THAT IS MORE SUSTAINABLE

BioAmber Inc. can transform its bio-based Succinic acid into 1,4-Butanediol (BDO) and Tetrahydrofuran (THF) in a single catalytic step. BDO and THF are used to make engineering plastics, polyurethanes, biodegradable polyesters, spandex and other specialty chemicals. We make exactly the same chemical. It is a straight drop in for existing BDO and THF consumers, but is bio-based, rather than being petroleum based, providing the products made with our BDO and THF a better environmental footprint.

Bio-basedDisodiumSuccinate

AN ALL NATURAL SEASONING AND FLAVOR ENHANCER FOR USE IN FOODS

BioAmber Inc. bio-based disodium succinate is an important ingredient of complex seasoning agents that can be used as an alternative for flavor enhancement and salt replacement. For its production, BioAmber Inc.'s natural flavor grade bio-based succinic acid is neutralized and spray dried to a tight particle size distribution. This natural ingredient can be used with other flavors and enhancers to either intensify flavor or soften stimulating strong tastes. It has good water solubility and high penetration and as a result, these effects are accelerated. BioAmber Inc.’s bio-based disodium succinate is an anhydrous powder with low particle size, making it ideal for blending in dry seasonings.

Sustainability Life Cycle Analysis

A Carbon Neutral Footprint

BioAmber Inc. is committed to producing chemicals in a more environmentally responsible manner. By using renewable feedstock, eliminating green house gas emissions and substantially reducing energy consumption, we are practicing greener chemistry that is sustainable. With our Sarnia plant begining production in 2015, we observed an impressive carbon footprint reduction relative to the existing method of producing succinic acid from petroleum. Our bio-based process for making succinic acid results in a 100% reduction in green house gas emissions and a 60% reduction in energy consumption.

An independent life cycle analysis, which evaluated the entire production chain from the planting and harvesting of corn through to the purification of succinic acid, revealed that net green house gas emissions for our entire process is zero. This represents a 100% reduction relative to the 7.1 tons of greenhouse gases that are emitted per ton of succinic acid produced using the petroleum process. At full capacity (30,000 tons of succinic acid per year), our Sarnia facility reduces green house gas emissions by over 210,000 tons per year, relative to the petroleum process. This is the equivalent of taking 45,000 cars off the road each year. The life cycle analysis also revealed that our entire process (corn to succinic) uses 60% less energy than the petroleum-derived process, a savings of over 2 trillion BTUs per year. That is the equivalent to the energy consumed by 46,000 US homes annually.

Sustainability feedstock development

Feedstock Flexibility

BioAmber Inc. is focused on using the most abundant, low cost sugar available, but we are also conscious of the need to be as sustainable as possible. Today, North American corn offers the most competitively priced sugar, making our succinic acid even more cost competitive. We can also use sugar from cane, beets, sorghum, wheat and tapioca to produce succinic acid. Our longer-term goal is to move to agricultural, forestry and eventually industrial waste as alternatives to traditional sugars.

While these second and third generation sugars are not commercially available today, BioAmber Inc. is working to ensure it has the flexibility to move to these alternative feedstocks when they become economical and available in commercial quantities. Our proprietary yeast developed with Cargill has the ability to efficiently consume xylose, the principal sugar that is obtained from hemi-cellulose, a major component of agricultural and forestry waste. We are actively screening sugars produced by various new technologies in an effort to determine those that will offer legitimate alternatives to first generation sugars. We are also engaged in a research program with Canada’s National Research Counsel that is developing a new organism that can consume methane or methanol instead of sugar and produce succinic acid. Methane and methanol are expected to be widely available and inexpensive byproducts of the shale gas boom.